Betrayed, Ulquiorra
by Stelaris
Summary: You have served me well, Ulquiorra. However, you have, as of this moment, outlived your usefulness...My dear arrancar, Espada and Numeros, you have free rein. Kill him.' FINALLY UPDATED!
1. Betrayal

A/N: before I begin, I want all to know that I have had this idea forever, and finally have managed to find the right words to bring it to life

_A/N: before I begin, I want all to know that I have had this idea forever, and finally have managed to find the right words to bring it to life. Even if you have only just started the Arrancar Arc, there shouldn't be any spoilers. After Ulquiorra crushes his left eye in the fic below, everything typed here is my own idea. (All Japanese will be in italics, and thoughts will be written like this: thought.) Also, __**this will always be one "chapter" long, because I'm gonna add on to the same document as I go**__. It's easier that way. Please forgive me if things don't go __**exactly**__ as they did in the manga/anime/whatever-you-get-Bleach-info-from. If any Ulquiorra fans are disappointed by what I did to the poor guy, please feel free to let me know. So, without further ado, enjoy, Ulquiorra-fans!_

_(scene: Aizen's throne room, shortly before Ulquiorra and Yammy's report)_

Ulquiorra stood silently before the throne of Aizen, awaiting his acknowledgement. Finally, having gotten bored, he spoke quietly, saying, "We have returned, Aizen-sama." Aizen smiled and replied, "Ulquiorra, Yammy, welcome back. Now, tell me everything about your trip to the material world. Show me, Ulquiorra, all that you know from your journey. Leave nothing out." Sighing mentally, Ulquiorra focused his memories of the mission, then moved his hand up to the left side of his face...

…and popped out his left eyeball. Holding his …eye… at arm's length and ignoring the pain, he simply said, "_Hai_," and crushed the emerald-and-white orb, transforming it into dust which scattered across the room, enveloping the arrancar and ex-_Taichou_ Soul Reapers, granting them access to first-person witnessing of the battle between Ichigo and Yammy, the two who had interfered, and Ichigo's friends, all through the eyes (or eye) of Ulquiorra, seen as he had seen it.

After a moment's pause, Aizen spoke again. "Well done, Ulquiorra. You knowledge was a wonderful addition to my experiences of the human world." Ulquiorra smiled fractionally (by his standards) and tilted his head slightly, acknowledging his master's rare praise. But Aizen was not done yet. "You have served me well, Ulquiorra. However, you have, as of this moment, outlived your usefulness."

Ulquiorra's face paled to a degree none present had previously possible. (I mean, is it even possible for any 'living' being to be paler than Ulquiorra's usual skin tone?) Aizen's final statement sounded like, to Ulquiorra's ears at least, the proclamation of doom at the world's end, "My dear arrancar, Espada and Numeros, you have free rein. Kill him." With that, the ex-Shinigami turned and left the hall, leaving Ulquiorra standing in the center of the room, twenty bloodthirsty Arrancar practically glowing with anticipation of his death.

In truth, Ulquiorra had known this day would come. To Aizen, arrancar, even Espada, were just playthings to be thrown away when he tired of them. Ulquiorra had watched it many times before, even participated in the bloodthirsty crowd. However, Ulquiorra had always believed, no, hoped that this day would never come for him.

He was given a half-second respite before the shrieking, yelling horde descended upon him. Ulquiorra caught a glimpse of Halibel on his right and Yammy advancing to his left before a tall shadow dominated his vision. "Hey, pleased to beat you," said the voice of an obnoxiously familiar blue-haired Espada, before Ulquiorra's face was introduced to the other's fist. Taking the hit, he allowed the force to shift him into a retaliating move, his left foot shooting out from under him and would have hit Grimmjow in the gut had he been Ulquiorra's height, which he was not. Because of this, Ulquiorra's kick ended up connecting with a somewhat _lower_ (and considerably more painful) region. Grimmjow barely had time to fall before Yammy arrived on scene, a massive hand wrapping tightly around Ulquiorra's thin waist and hoisting him effortlessly off the ground.

"It's payback time!" Yammy roared, squeezing the smaller Espada. Ulquiorra winced imperceptibly as two of his ribs cracked. Fortunately, Yammy had forgotten to pin his hands. "Yes… my payback," Ulquiorra hissed through gritted teeth. "Cero!" An emerald colored bolt of light incinerated Yammy and three other arrancar who had been unfortunate enough to be standing behind the giant.

Ulquiorra landed on the ground with feline grace. More arrancar were surging in though, and he didn't know just how long he could hold out. _Out of the twenty, I've taken out four and…incapacitated…a fifth… fifteen to go._

His thoughts were interrupted by a crimson bolt of light shot close-range on his left. There was no time to dodge, so Ulquiorra whirled around and caught the blast with both hands, then flung it away (incinerating ten more unlucky arrancar and Aaroniero). The Primera Espada was standing directly in front of him (the biggest hint to the fact that it was indeed the first was the fact that many arrancar minus Halibel, who had been knocked out by the blast's "redirection" were edging away. Ulquiorra stared at his hands for an instant of shock. _Did I just catch a Cero from the strongest of the Espada?_

Ulquiorra wasted no more time on thought. He charged, drew his zanpakutoh (much to the shock of the arrancar present no one had ever seen him draw it before), filled his blade with a bright green cero, and sliced off the strongest Espada's head. As if on some hidden signal, every (living) arrancar in the room drew and released their zanpakutohs. Ulquiorra was no exception, murmuring a quiet phrase to his sword. It flared as bright a green as his eyes, then melted into light that surrounded the Cuatra Espada. Every arrancar near him backed off a bit, except for Grimmjow, who sensed a good fight coming.

Ulquiorra opened his eyes as the light faded to reveal his transformation. His standard appearance had not changed much, but now, in addition to the other half of the horned-helmet mask now firmly in place (his face was still visible, though), his body now glowed with energy. The Cuatra Espada's fingernails lengthened into claws and he charged at Grimmjow, who leapt high into the air for an aerial assault. Everyone in the room received the shock of their lives when Ulquiorra leapt up too, opening his newly-formed black raven-wings and flying to meet Grimmjow. As every person knows, cats can't fly, so Grimmjow was at a severe disadvantage. One, two, three rapid slashes later, and Grimmjow's head tumbled off to land on the Fifth Espada, who flung it away in disgust.

Not all of the slashes had been formed by Ulquiorra, though. Grimmjow had landed just one hit, a long slash that ran from Ulquiorra's right hip up to his left shoulder. Breathing slightly harder than usual, Ulquiorra landed again, and was met with a surging tide of Espada and arrancar, who had been emboldened by Grimmjow's successful final attack.

Ulquiorra turned to face the bloodthirsty crowd. Rolling out of the way of the first wave, he closed his emerald green eyes for two seconds as the mass realized his location had changed. The breathing-space gone, Ulquiorra folded his black raven's wings and stood, clawed hands in pockets, waiting for the attack to come. _Four Espada remain… Nnoitra, Zommari, Stark…_ a sharp needle pierced the back of his neck _and Szayel…_

"This is my revenge for all those comments you made, Ulquiorra," Szayel hissed in his ear. Ulquiorra thought fast, stalling for time as he swiftly overpowered the toxin-laced tranquilizer now flowing through his blood. "Comments, Szayel?" he inquired softly, forcing a dull, flat note into his voice to fool the scientist as he concentrated his immense power.

"Don't pretend you don't know!" Szayel said angrily. "_Nerd, Trash, _and all those comments about my hair! I've had enough!" He drew his arm back for the final strike. At that moment, Ulquiorra struck.

He extended both wings to their fullest extent at the same time, launching Szayel backward about twenty yards. Then, before Szayel had time to land, the Cuatra Espada was behind him, intercepting Szayel's landing course with a roundhouse kick. Szayel never had a chance. As he collided with the opposite wall with a sickening crack, Ulquiorra's left hand pierced his neck. "_My mistake, Szayel,_" he whispered to the scientist's limp form, "_You are not trash. You are filth not fit to live in this world. Goodbye, Octava Espada."_ Ulquiorra withdrew his hand, watching coldly as Szayel's corpse fell to the cold stone floor.

Now, only Zommari, Nnoitra, and Ulquiorra were still standing. Nnoitra smirked and reached to draw his zanpakutoh, but his long fingers never even touched the hilt before Ulquiorra was upon him. The smaller Espada came at him in a low, crouching run, then rapidly went upright as he reached his target, shifting into an uppercut to Nnoitra's jaw and sending Nnoitra flying backwards, semi-conscious. Zommari wasn't spared either. As Ulquiorra's fist connected with Nnoitra's jaw, he leapt into the air and spread both wings wide, then came down at Zommari like an avenging angel. The Seventh Espada fell before he even knew that he'd been hit, split in half from top of head to stomach. Ulquiorra landed and folded his wings. At that point, Halibel regained consciousness, having recovered from the "redirected" Cero. Seeing the carnage and slaughter all around her, she stood and backed away from Ulquiorra, who advanced slowly toward her.

"So, you are the last one?" he asked, though it was obvious. "I will spare your life, Halibel-sama, if you do not try to take mine." Halibel nodded, but her mind was seething, pulling together a plan to defeat the Espada before her who had just decimated almost all of Aizen's best warriors. That plan centered on whether or not said Espada noticed one of the bodies around them was still moving…

Behind Ulquiorra, Nnoitra was stirring. The blow to his chin had knocked out a few teeth and almost done the same to him, but Ulquiorra was slowly weakening fractionally, and that fact had saved Nnoitra's life. He got silently to his feet, absorbing his surroundings. _Just one chance,_ he thought. _If I screw this up, I'm dead for good this time._

Ulquiorra's sensitive ears picked up a quiet sound behind him, the rasp of metal on metal, like the hiss of a deadly serpent. Swiftly he turned, but not swiftly enough. Time itself seemed to slow as Nnoitra's blade pierced his chest and exited the other side. The Fourth Espada staggered slightly and coughed, spraying blood onto his once-white clothes. A cruel smirk covered Nnoitra's face as he pulled the zanpakutoh from his victim's body, delivering a vicious kick to Ulquiorra's torso that sent the smaller Espada flying ten feet across the room where his path was abruptly –and painfully –intercepted by the wall.

Slowly, every cell of his body in pure agony, Ulquiorra rose using the wall for support. Coughing up blood, he raised a single pale hand and lightly tapped the air before him. "Open…Gargantua…" he breathed, forcing open a rip in space with the last of his strength. The Gargantua stretched open like a gaping mouth and swallowed the pale, half-dead Espada with darkness. Before either Nnoitra or Halibel could react, the portal had sealed again and the only proof of the Fourth Espada's previous presence in the room were the bloodstains on the wall and the corpses at their feet.

Halibel looked at Nnoitra and said, "He escaped. Now what; do we pursue him?" Nnoitra shook his head. "Nah, he's half dead anyway. Let's get this straight: we saw his corpse right before a combined Cero dissolved it, right, Halibel-chan?" Halibel glared. "Alright, but I **will** kill you if you call me that again."

In a small forest of Karakura town, a gaping portal opened. A pale figure staggered forward, pressing his hand against a tree for support. As the portal closed, his strength left him and the being known as Ulquiorra stumbled and fell. As he lay there, facedown in the grass, truly alone for the first time in his memory, Ulquiorra prayed the end would come quickly as darkness consumed him.

**A/N:** No, I didn't kill him… yet. (laughs evilly) Don't worry, Ulquiorra fans, help is on the way for our favorite Espada… or should that be ex-Espada now? Ah, well, I'll type more in the morning. (It's 11:45 pm right now --;;)


	2. Discovery

Everyone with even a shred of spiritual power felt the burst of energy

Everyone with even a shred of spiritual power felt the burst of energy. It was hard to miss; nothing like it had ever entered Karakura town in over two hundred. Humans everywhere looked up as a chill went down their spines. The soul reapers stationed there reported back for backup. Urahara closed his shop to investigate. Orihime and Ichigo both made excuses to the teacher and practically fled the school. They, at least, recognized the energy. _That arrancar from before…_ Ichigo thought as he and Orihime raced toward the epicenter of the power surge. _This is _his_ energy… but it's so much stronger than last time! What does it mean?_

Finally, he and Orihime arrived at the park where the source of the strange power was coming from. To Ichigo's surprise, Urahara was there too! "What are you doing here, Urahara-san?" Orihime asked politely. Urahara looked up, startled, then quickly regained his usual cheerful expression and replied, "Ah, Inoue-san! And Kurosaki-san as well! It is a pleasure to meet you on such a fine day !"

Next instant, Ichigo was in Urahara's face with a very threatening look in his eye. "**Just answer the question, Urahara!**" he growled, glaring at the sweat-dropping shop owner.

"Ah… yes. I am here, naturally, for the same reasons as you and Inoue-san, Ichigo." Seeing slightly confused expressions on the teenagers, Urahara sighed and elaborated. "The energy. You must have sensed it, or you would not be out here, am I right? That is why you're both here: to investigate." When both nodded, Urahara smiled and turned back to his investigation of the area.

As they followed the energy, and later, the scent of blood, Ichigo Kurosaki was the first to notice. At the edge of a clearing, three boys had surrounded something and were kicking it or prodding it with long sticks. Through a gap in the human wall, Orihime caught a glimpse of black feathers and white… cloth? _No, that can't be right… Birds don't use cloth… unless maybe it got caught by these boys?_ she thought, perplexed.

A menacing aura came to the attention of the boys. Slowly, frightened, they turned around, only to be greeted by none other than the infamous Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo glared at them. "If you've got nothing better to do than torture that thing, I suggest you leave before this gets personal," he growled at them. The boys were too happy to comply, scrambling and tripping over each other in their haste to escape the infamous "wrath of Ichigo".

After the boys left, the small group was able to see, for the first time, what the children had been tormenting. Orihime was the first to speak. "It's a fallen angel…" she murmured. And indeed, it (or should I say he?) appeared to be. The being's form was entirely human, clad in white, except for the large black bird wings that had confused Orihime and fascinated the boys. It was clear that one wing was broken, and bloodstains were common along the creature's entire body, though they were concentrated along the torso. The creature was facedown, so they couldn't see its face.

While they watched, the wings shimmered and vanished into spirit particles, which melded together in the thing's hand, forming a sword. Urahara knelt down and rolled it onto its back, revealing its face and identity. This time, Ichigo broke the silence first. Voice muted by shock, he said, "That's no angel, Orihime…"

Orihime sat in the secret back room of Urahara Shouten, watching the still form next to her. She still didn't understand why they needed to guard him; he looked so harmless in this condition.

The girl sighed. This was going nowhere. Closing her eyes, Orihime allowed her mind to wander back to yesterday at the park, where they had found him…

"_That's no angel, Orihime," Ichigo said. "That's one of the arrancar from the incident a week ago. This is the stronger one, or was at least, 'cause I don't think he's alive anymore." At that moment, said arrancar proved Ichigo wrong by shifting slightly and murmuring something. Orihime, who had been standing next to him, squeaked like a frightened mouse, jumped almost a foot in the air, and scrambled away from the injured arrancar to hide behind Urahara. "I believe you are wrong with that assumption, Kurosaki-san." Urahara smiled a bit and gently nudged the pale arrancar with his foot, evoking another reaction, this one in the form of the arrancar shifting again (away from Urahara's foot) and opening his startlingly green eyes. Orihime squeaked again and shrank further back behind Urahara._

_Ulquiorra watched the frightened Orihime with something resembling amusement. He coughed and said, "You needn't be… so frightened… I cannot… do much… in this state… Even if… I could move… I wouldn't be able… to harm you… before your soul reaper friends… would kill me…"_

_Ichigo was somewhat shocked. He hadn't though that the arrancar was alive, let alone able to speak. "You're one of the arrancar from last week," he said, more to Orihime and Urahara than to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra coughed up some blood and smirked slightly. "And you… are the idiot soul reaper… who Yammy-baka… almost killed…" he murmured, so quietly that the other three almost couldn't hear him._

_Almost. Urahara had to hold Ichigo back from further incapacitating the half-dead arrancar. "Now, now, Kurosaki-san, we can't have you killing him until after we find out what happened. Now… what is your name?"_

"_I am called… Ulquiorra… Cuatro Espada…"_

"_Thank you. Now, Ulquiorra-san, what do you mean by Espada…? Ah, never mind…" Urahara trailed off, as Ulquiorra had just lost consciousness again. "Well, this complicates matters," he said. "Ah, well, I suppose it can't be helped… Pick him up, Kurosaki-san, and come along."_

_Ichigo blinked. "'Pick him up'? What do you mean, Urahara?" Urahara sighed. The boy could be such a boneheaded moron at times. "Well, we can't have him dying here, can we? He must know something about Aizen's plans, and if he dies he won't be able to tell us. Now, pick him up, Kurosaki-san. We're leaving." Grumbling, Ichigo complied, roughly hoisting Ulquiorra off the ground by the collar. "Not so roughly, Ichigo! Do you _want_ him to die? …Never mind, don't answer that. Just be gentle, and carry him a bit less painfully." With a sigh, Ichigo shifted Ulquiorra a bit so that the pale ex-Espada could breathe. "Oh, for… Don't carry him by his collar! Just… ah, I'll do it…" _

_Orihime jumped in to the conversation and said, "Kurosaki-kun, please set him down again. Thanks, now…"she whispered a quick phrase and a glowing, triangular shield formed under Ulquiorra's body and slowly, so as not to jolt it's passenger, rose into the air, carrying him with it._

"_Creative and intelligent! Well done, Inoue-san! See, Kurosaki-san, there is a smart solution to this problem!" One second later, Urahara had a bloody nose and an angry Ichigo glaring at him. "Just shut it and move, Urahara. This was your idea, so you gotta figure out where to keep him," growled Ichigo. "Moth thertain'y, fo'ow be…" Urahara said, his cheerful attitude somewhat dampened but not gone entirely, and he walked off through the woods, Ichigo and Orihime following, the glowing "stretcher" with Ulquiorra floating behind._

Orihime sighed. This was the most boring job ever: watching an unconscious, half-dead arrancar in case he woke up and went crazy or something.

At the moment, said arrancar was looking more dead than alive. Urahara, Ururu, and Jinta had been hard at work, though, taking care of the bandaging. Ulquiorra's upper body was almost completely bandaged up, giving him an appearance resembling a mummy. Orihime sighed again. At least they had left his face alone so the ex-Espada could breathe… Come to think of it, did arrancar even **need** to breathe?

_Focus, Orihime, _she reminded herself. Orihime turned her attention back to their "guest" and stared blankly for a minute before boredom overtook her and she drifted off into sleep.

_Ulquiorra was dreaming, that much he knew, but it was so unlike the normal, philosophical/bloodthirsty dreams he usually experienced that he couldn't believe it wasn't actually real. He was in Aizen's "throne room" deep within Las Noches, standing in the air above the platform on which the throne itself sat. He stood behind the throne, watching the room from above. It was an unusual experience; he'd never been allowed up in this particular location before._

_Aizen himself was sitting in the throne. It seemed he had not yet noticed Ulquiorra's presence. Ulquiorra smirked sarcastically (by his standards). It wasn't exactly hard to see why Aizen hadn't noticed him, he was barely visible. Of course, that was quite believable as Ulquiorra was quite certain he'd died several hours previously, shortly after that strange vision in the human world's small forest…_

_Aizen's voice snapped Ulquiorra's mind back to the present. "I see. Thank you, Nnoitra, Halibel. Lead me to the remains of the others. Perhaps… we can revive them if their spiritual pressure is still there." Aizen stood. Ulquiorra, intrigued, looked out below the platform. Standing on the ground, far below the platform, were Halibel and Nnoitra, looking, surprisingly, to be in good health. Ulquiorra had seen what happened to those who failed Aizen. Halibel and Nnoitra did not fit those memories. _No doubt they lied and said that they vaporized me,_ he thought. It wasn't exactly surprising; he'd considered lying to Aizen several times before, after his few failed missions when he'd just been created and was still a weakling compared to his current… previous… power._

_Ulquiorra's subconscious registered a slight tugging that became more insistent very quickly. Looking up, he noticed that Aizen was leaving the room, and that the further away his former master got, the stronger the pull. _Intriguing… So, I am spiritually bound to Aizen in this soul-form… _he concluded. Soon the tugging became so strong a pull that even Ulquiorra could not resist. He took the most obvious course of action: he followed._


	3. Life

Everyone with even a shred of spiritual power felt the burst of energy

**A/N:** Ok, I'm more than a little uncertain about this chapter. Please tell me what you think (but try not to flame me). Next chapter there's some Ulqui/Hime! You've been warned!

_Chapter 3_

Urahara decided to check and see how his little "patient" and Orihime were getting along. He'd heard a male voice from the back room a bit earlier, murmuring so quietly that he couldn't understand, though he'd registered the word "Aizen". With a light click, the doorknob turned and Urahara entered the room, only to find Orihime asleep in a chair and Ulquiorra still unconscious on the makeshift bed on the floor. Orihime was smiling softly; it was obvious she was enjoying her dream. In complete contrast, Ulquiorra's normally calm and peaceful face was showing signs of stress and pain, meaning either his many wounds were bothering him, or that he was having a nightmare.

Orihime stirred slightly, then woke with a start. "Ah, gomen nasai, Urahara-san, I didn't mean to sleep!" she said, noticing the ex-shinigami. Urahara almost laughed. "It's alright, Inoue-san, I was not coming in to scold you. I want to see how our little guest is doing." Orihime smiled at the arrancar's 'nickname'. It suited him quite well, as Ulquiorra was only half an inch taller than she was.

At that moment, Urahara and Orihime were both distracted by a soft groan from behind them. Both whirled around to see Ulquiorra was shifting slightly on his 'bed'. To Orihime's great concern, his breathing became labored, and the pain his face expressed increased. Then, to their surprise, Ulquiorra began to speak in a strange language, his words made stranger still by his strong, rich accent. Orihime suddenly recognized the language from what the giant arrancar had spoken, back when Ulquiorra and Yammy had first come here. "Urahara-san! He's speaking Spanish, like the other arrancar. I can translate for you, Sado-kun's been teaching me. Here goes…" Orihime quietly began to translate Ulquiorra's words into Japanese for the ex-shinigami.

"_The others… the Espada, we elites… there were only two… but now there are five…?Aizen is reviving those I killed… Grimmjow, Yammy, Szayel… Alive again… there are many now… his army, once decimated… renewed…… he is stronger… Soul Society is finished…"_ Ulquiorra fell silent, coughing slightly with each shallow breath until his breathing slowed and steadied to its normal pace, his face showing nothing but his normal calm expression. A moment later, Ulquiorra opened his eyes. He was obviously surprised at his current state. "_I'm… still alive…? How…?_" he murmured, his voice slightly strained with pain.

Orihime looked at the confused arrancar, pity filling her at the sight of him in such a state. He was in such obvious pain, even though he seemed to be doing his best to conceal it. "Eh, Ulquiorra-san…?"

Ulquiorra's emerald green eyes immediately refocused. "You… onna… Kurosaki's friend…" he said, forcing the agony from his voice. Orihime nodded, and replied, "Yes, I'm Orihime! You're… Ulquiorra, right?"

The pale arrancar coughed and, much to Orihime's increased worry, blood came up, splattering onto his once white robes. "Yes," he rasped, "I am… Ulquiorra… Why… am I not dead…?"

It was Urahara who answered him this time. "You are in my little shop, the Urahara Shouten." Seeing Ulquiorra's confused look, he elaborated. "When we found you in the park, you were looking quite a bit worse for the wear. I decided to bring you back here so you could recover."

"Why…?" Ulquiorra questioned. Urahara seemed somewhat puzzled at this. "'Why', you say? Well, why not?" Ulquiorra sighed. This man was obviously a moron. "I am your enemy… Why… I asked… did you spare… my 'life'?" Urahara seemed thoroughly amused by the notion it. "I don't think your injuries were caused by a shinigami, or by a mere human. Tell us your story, Ulquiorra-san. That is why we spared you." Ulquiorra nodded fractionally, though the simple action sent an intense wave of pain shooting through his entire beaten body. "I understand… I hope… you are patient… Telling you… will take time…" Taking a deep breath, Ulquiorra began his tragic tale.

By the time he finished, Urahara was nodding thoughtfully, and Orihime was almost in tears. "W-why…? Why would Aizen do that? You were his most loyal… why would he go out of his way to destroy you?" Orihime said. Ulquiorra simply gazed quietly at her, not responding. Then he sat up and slowly got to his feet, causing a wave of protests from Orihime and from his body. Ignoring both, he looked Urahara in the eye and said "Where… is my zanpakutoh…?"

Urahara looked somewhat confused. "Why would you need it? You're in no shape to use it," he said. Ulquiorra replied, "I believe… you saw me… shortly after I entered… the human world… that other form… was also injured… I need… to reenter that form… if I am to fully heal. Now… my zanpakutoh?" He held out his hand almost expectantly.

The ex-shinigami sighed. He'd hoped to keep Ulquiorra separated from his weapon until he was sure of Ulquiorra's honesty, but… "I see I have little choice. Orihime, that puppy-eyed look is quite becoming. Do you fancy our prisoner?" Urahara laughed good-naturedly as Ulquiorra looked puzzled and Orihime blushed furiously. "It's in the room three doors down on your left when you leave this room. Feel free to retrieve it, but if you activate that form, I have two conditions. One, keep out of sight of ordinary mortals. Many of the locals have developed enough spiritual power to see you, and I highly doubt that an arrancar-related disturbance would go unnoticed by Aizen. Two, I am required to keep you under surveillance while you are in my custody. Beyond that, just be careful around Mister Kurosaki. He hasn't quite forgiven you and the other arrancar for what you did to the park and his friends. He's also staying here; you may want to avoid him, on second thought."

Ulquiorra, bowing slightly, turned and carefully limped over to the door and went out into the corridor. A moment later, a surge of reiatsu was felt from the general direction Urahara had indicated earlier. "I think our little friend has found his weapon." Orihime nodded, then said, "Do you think he'll be alright? Those wounds are serious; they look so painful…" she finished, the pity in her voice quite obvious.

Urahara laughed. "Why, Miss Inoue! I do believe you fancy him!" he said, smiling merrily as Orihime blushed even more than before.


	4. Prelude

Everyone with even a shred of spiritual power felt the burst of energy

So tired was Ulquiorra that he didn't stir in the slightest as Orihime knocked lightly on his room's door. Receiving no answer, Orihime gulped nervously and slowly turned the doorknob with a click and opened the door as quietly as possible, so as not to startle its occupant if he hadn't heard her. What she saw awed and amazed her beyond human comprehension:

At first, he looked like a giant bird perched upon a stool in the spare room. But when Orihime looked closer, she saw the human-like appearance that stole her heart and took her breath away.

Ulquiorra was seated on a 3 foot tall wooden stool, apparently asleep, the bird-wings of his release form folded about him, though the left wing hung oddly; it was obvious that it was broken somehow. One white-robed leg was stretched out, the foot pointed elegantly at the ground. His other leg, foot resting on the rim of the stool, was bent at the knee, with both arms wrapped around it, giving him a look so forlorn that Orihime had to hold back her tears at the sight. But what was most dramatic of all was the single horn of his helmet, seeming to grow straight from the side of his bent head, and dramatizing the angelic appearance with its strange demonic accent. Orihime felt her breath catch in her throat as she stared in awe at the strange vision before her.

_He's so beautiful like this…_ she thought, dazed. _Ack! No! Snap outta it, Orihime!_ She thought, shaking her head violently. _You're in love with Kurosaki-kun; stay firm, stay firm…_ Her emotions overrode this particular thought, _But does Kurosaki-kun love me back…? Ah, it's too confusing!_

A sad voice snapped Orihime out of her daze. "Onna, are you going to stand there and stare at me all day?" Ulquiorra said, raising his face to look her in the eye, jade meeting brown in a single glance. Orihime jumped at his voice, and quickly relayed the message she'd been given to cover her embarrassment. "Ah, Ulquiorra-san, Urahara-san wants to see you in the 'office' now. He's gotten Kurosaki-kun as well. You're supposed to follow me…" Orihime trailed off. Ulquiorra's emerald gaze was stealing her voice.

"Very well." Ulquiorra stood, wincing fractionally, and folded his wings back. With a quietly murmured command, the wings shattered into glowing particles and took the form of a sword. The arrancar then sheathed the sword, and followed Orihime out the door to Urahara's 'office'.

**A/N:** Ok, I know it was short, but I have a bit of writer's block here, and I can't help it. Next chapter will come soon, I hope!


	5. Questions

Urahara sat quietly at the low table in his office, reading an old manuscript

Urahara sat quietly at the low table in his office, reading an old manuscript. A sudden knock on the door startled him, causing him to jump up, drop the book, and knock his hat askew before he recognized Orihime' reiatsu, as well as some unfamiliar energy, but that was probably his "guest". Straightening his hat, he called, "Come in, Inoue-san! Is our little guest with you?" From outside, he could hear Orihime call, "Coming, Urahara-san!" and the monotonous voice of Ulquiorra murmuring, "Trash…"

Orihime slid the door open quickly after Urahara's summons, and hurried inside, followed more slowly by Ulquiorra, the latter of which paused momentarily in the doorway to examine the [messy] room. He would have stood there longer, but Ichigo came up behind him and growled, "Move, arrancar," in a tone that made it quite clear that he hadn't forgiven Ulquiorra for the incident with Yammy in the park. As much as Ulquiorra would have loved to put the arrogant red-head in his place, he wasn't about to risk it until his energy had recovered fully. The shorter arrancar settled for a slight reiatsu flare accompanied by a slight glare at Ichigo's back. Both were ignored, and Urahara tapped his fan on the table and gestured for the two to sit down.

Ichigo sat and said, "Ok, what do you want us for this time, Urahara? And why's **he** here?" The shinigami pointed at Ulquiorra, who sat opposite him (next to Orihime, Urahara noted) silently ignoring Ichigo.

Urahara smiled brightly. "Getting straight to the point as usual I see, Kurosaki-san. Very well, I'll answer. I am sure you know, Ulquiorra, that there's been news of Hueco Mundo building its forces for a 'final battle' against us shinigami," he said. Ulquiorra nodded. "I used to be quite valued by Aizen. Often he told me to train the others for upcoming battles, though he never said when."

The shop-keeper lowered his fan slowly. "Hmm, I see. Ulquiorra-san, you don't plan on fighting for Aizen anymore, do you?"

"No." Ulquiorra replied, not even bothering to look up.

"See, Kurosaki-san? I told you—don't hit me! Ow!"

Ichigo glared at the cowering Urahara, who was shielding himself with a spare cushion. "The 'I told you so' wasn't needed, Urahara. I got the point!" "And so did I…" Urahara said. "Now, as I was saying… Ulquiorra, will you fight alongside us in the Winter War?"

This statement was followed by a loud "**What?!**" from Ichigo, Orihime's "Eh?" and Ulquiorra's startled green-eyed stare. After a moment, Ulquiorra said, "I believe my ears are failing me… did I hear correctly… that you wish for an ex-Espada… formerly Aizen's most loyal, to join you… in battle?"

Urahara nodded. "Yes, we're going to need all the help what we can get, if there are more of your power among the ranks of the arrancar. I ask again: Ulquiorra Schiffer, formerly Cuatro Espada, will you join our ranks, and fight for our side?"

**A/N:** Ok, Grimmjow fans, he's gonna show up next chapter! Also: Ulquiorra's decision! Plus: possibly some more Ulqui/Hime! (Gotta start out slow, but it will get better) Thank you for reading!


	6. Ulquiorra's Decision

**A/N: **Ok, I lied. Grimmjow's not here yet. I'll try to fit him in next chapter, though.

Ulquiorra thought for a few agonizingly long minutes, staring silently at the table as he considered his options. _If I say no, they will turn me over to Soul Society or leave me on my own for Aizen to find, both of which will certainly mean my death in this state. Yes, though, means I am bowing my head to my former enemies—perhaps not former in Kurosaki-san's case—and that is the way of the coward… it has been a long time since I felt uncertainty,_ he thought, almost smiling at the last bit.

Coming to a decision, Ulquiorra looked up, meeting Urahara's eyes. "My answer is…no, Urahara Kisuke," he began. Urahara sighed. "I see… I was hoping you'd see sense, but…" "I did not say I would be your enemy," Ulquiorra said, raising a pale hand to cut Urahara off. "I will not join your ranks, but yes, I will fight for your side, to the best of my ability. Even in this state, I am not the least of the arrancar."

Urahara smiled cheerfully, and replied, "Excellent! I was hoping you'd say that! Now then, one question, if I may." Ulquiorra nodded his consent, and Urahara continued. "You said you were 'Cuatro Espada', am I right? What is an Espada, Ulquiorra-san, and how many are there?"

"_The_ Espada… There are, no, were, ten of us. We are the elite of Aizen's army, the ten strongest of all the arrancar in Hueco Mundo. Each of us has a number inscribed somewhere on our bodies, marking our rank, with one as the absolute strongest. The large fool, Yammy, who was with me when we invaded your world not long ago, was rank ten, the weakest of us, but still formidable to one unprepared. As for me, I am—was," he pulled aside the left side of his shirt, revealing a gothic-script number 4 on his pale chest, "rank four, fourth strongest of all the Espada."

Urahara nodded, considering this. "So, if Aizen does not have you on his side, he has lost quite a lot of firepower, am I right?" Ulquiorra nodded silently. "Well, then, it's settled!" Urahara said confidently. "Ulquiorra-san, you may stay here while you recover. If you wish, I might find alternate lodging for you later. In the meantime, we could use your help and extensive knowledge to help us prepare for the coming war. Are you willing to assist us in training once you are fully healed?" Again, Ulquiorra nodded, but warned, "I will not assist Soul Reapers in training. While we may fight together, they are still my enemies and I will treat them as such."

Ichigo made to rise, hand on sword hilt, but Orihime stepped in quickly and asked, "Does that mean you're going to fight them?" "No, not unless I am attacked first." Ulquiorra replied, not looking at her, but looking off over her shoulder as if in a slight daze. "He'd better not or he'll have my sword to answer to!" Ichigo exclaimed, glaring at the arrancar, who continued to watch the wall, unfazed.

"Alright, alright, Kurosaki-san! Please stop threatening my guest. Right, then, Inoue-san and Kurosaki-san, if you two would leave, I'd like a private word with Ulquiorra-san," Urahara said. Waiting until the humans left, the ex-shinigami turned to Ulquiorra, his expression vaguely reminding Ulquiorra of Grimmjow's crazed battle-grin. "I am a businessman, Ulquiorra-san, so I'm afraid I can't let you stay here for free. We need to discuss your room and board." Ulquiorra stared at the crazy storekeeper, confounded. "Wh-…I have no money, Urahara-san. I will be unable to pay you…" "Oh, I think we can solve that problem," said Urahara, his cheerful smile scaring Ulquiorra more than the twenty arrancars had.

**A/N:** Please don't kill me for not updating, I'm trying my hardest (nose growing longer) but I don't have time for all the things I'm trying to do in life. I'll try to get the next update out within the next two months, but no promises.


	7. Dreams

_He was asleep again, or at least his body was. Ulquiorra's spirit was drifting through a hole in dimensions. After about three seconds-worth of travel, his soul burst out into the freakishly white halls of Hueco Mundo. Aizen was sitting on his "throne", staring straight at him. For a moment, Ulquiorra felt a current of fear run through him, a relatively new emotion, then he realized Aizen couldn't see him at all. He was looking __**through**__ Ulquiorra, at someone standing below._

_Aizen spoke. "Grimmjow. I believe you expressed a wish to invade the human world during the deceased Fourth's report?" Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at Aizen's deliberate not-using of his name. _I have already ceased to exist in his eyes,_ he thought bitterly. _I, who served him so faithfully, am nothing in the eyes of the **"master"**._ Completely oblivious to the irate spirit drifting in front of him, Aizen kept talking. "Permission is granted, Grimmjow. Take whomever you wish. I have no doubts that the Soul Society has sent reinforcements, but they are probably cannon fodder. Get rid of them, and the humans Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime. You are dismissed. I expect you to return with a report in no more than two day's time."_

_Grimmjow, who had been kneeling at the foot of the throne (unwillingly showing respect), rose and gestured to a group of arrancar skulking nearby. "You idiots, get over here. You're coming with me." All five of the 'idiots' stood and walked over, smirking. Grimmjow opened a Gargantua and the group stepped through._

_Ulquiorra felt consciousness tugging at his spirit again and fought it, straining to hear more. He was not disappointed._

"_Ya sure ya know what yer doin', Aizen?" Gin asked, his usual smirk glued to his face. Ulquiorra didn't even need to look to see who it was. Gin's trademark accent was all he needed to identify his least favorite member of Aizen's army. "That Ichigo's stronger than ya give him credit for…"_

_Aizen smiled coldly. "Tell me, Gin, don't you have better things to do than criticize me? If you insist on knowing my plans, I am getting rid of one of two loose cannons, possibly both if Luck decides to side with me. Kurosaki is too much of a threat, despite what Ulquiorra might have said, and Grimmjow was getting too restless, to the point of picking fights with half the arrancar in the army. With the weakening of the Hougyoku, we can't handle too many casualties. The sphere has had enough stress on it with reviving the Espada that Ulquiorra killed."_

"_Ya, Ulquiorra… that __**was**__ a surprise, hmm, Aizen? Guess even his loyalty had its limits. That wasn't too nice of ya, sic-in' the nineteen strongest on him. Still, I didn't think that he'd be strong enough t' do that, even being one of __**those**__—" "That's quite enough, Gin," Aizen cut him off, his spiritual pressure fluctuating with barely concealed annoyance at the loose-lipped fox-face._

_The room faded out as Ulquiorra's body woke, his mind practically burning with curiosity. What did Gin mean, 'one of those'? He shook the thought away. There were more important things to do, involving the invasion that Grimmjow was bringing to Karakura town._

"That answers how he revived those I defeated…" Ulquiorra said, opening his eyes and pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked around, instinctively checking for enemies and Ichigo's reiatsu. Negative on both, but there was another reiatsu outside his door… one that he recognized.

"You may come in, onna," he said quietly. Orihime, who had been standing outside his door, jumped, then found the knob and opened the door, stepping inside. She stood silently, fidgeting, feeling nervous. Ulquiorra noticed this, but said nothing. After a minute of silence, Orihime spoke up. "Ulquiorra-san, I've been wondering…when we first brought you here, you were unconscious… and you spoke in your sleep, about Aizen reviving some people. Where did you learn Spanish, Ulquiorra-san?"

Ulquiorra blinked. He had not expected this question, nor had he realized he was the sleep-talking type. At first glance, he'd assumed Orihime to be just an air-headed girl with some strange abilities, nothing special. Obviously, he'd been wrong about the air-headed part. "All arrancar know it. It was required. Our home, Las Noches, 'Night', was named in that language." "Oh… ok…" Orihime said. _I wonder if all arrancar have such a beautiful accent when they use that language… aack! No, I can't like him! Think Kurosaki-kun… think Kurosaki-kun…_ she shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts.

Ulquiorra stood, subconsciously straightening his sleeves and ignoring Orihime's strange actions, and said "I need to speak to Kisuke Urahara."

"Speak away. I'm right here Ulquiorra-san." Urahara said, smiling as Orihime squeaked and jumped like a doused cat and Ulquiorra twitched slightly. Concealing his surprise, Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, one of the Espada, is leading a group of five arrancar to the human world. He just left Hueco Mundo and will arrive here…" he looked out the window to assess the time (midday) "after dark, if my calculations are correct."

Urahara didn't even bother to hide his surprise. "And how do you know this, Ulquiorra-san? Did some dream tell you this?" Ulquiorra looked momentarily surprised, then decided Urahara was only being sarcastic. "Yes, one did. Aizen has used the Hougyoku to revive the Espada I killed and has sent six arrancar, one of them ranked sixth of the Espada, to destroy the soul reaper reinforcements as well as Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime."

Orihime paled visibly at this. "But… what are we going to do? We couldn't even fight off that big Espada who was with you in the park… how will we handle five arrancar and an even stronger Espada?"

Ulquiorra smirked. "When Yammy and I came, I fought _against_ you. I am strong enough to handle Grimmjow alone. Your Kurosaki can handle a lower-rank arrancar or two if he tries hard enough, and, Urahara-san, I believe you can handle yourself in a fight. Onna, your weapon was destroyed, was it not?" Orihime nodded, and said, "I can't heal him… something keeps getting in my way." The arrancar decided not to ask what she meant by 'him'.

"Inoue-san can stay here. Yoruichi will look after her," Urahara said. Ulquiorra looked blankly at the shop keeper. "Yoruichi?" he asked. A black cat bumped into his leg, getting fur on the white cloth. "Yes," Urahara said, smiling as he pointed at the cat. "Yoruichi is quite capable." Ulquiorra was tempted to ask how much sake Urahara had drank in the past few hours, but decided he valued his dignity and settled for another blank look at the cat.

Ulquiorra stood outside the shop now, savoring the cool evening breeze. On previous trips to the human world, he'd been on a mission or was hunted down by trash shinigami and had never had time to really enjoy the world. The spirit particles in the air were few and far between, but Urahara had found a way around that with compressed particles from Soul Society that he stored in a small thermos.

What Ulquiorra was most fascinated by was the sunset. He had never seen so many colors in one place before. Hueco Mundo was always white, black, and grey. This sky changed so many times per day, from midnight black to midmorning blue, from afternoon cerulean to the fiery rainbow of sunset. Having spent his whole life...or afterlife in a colorless world, the human world was endlessly amazing to him.

Passerby paused to look at the strange, pale young man standing outside Urahara Shouten. It wasn't exactly common to see "ordinary" people outside the strange shop. For a minute or two, Ulquiorra stared fixedly at the sunset, then noticed the humans sneaking passing glances at him. For another minute, he wondered how they all could see him, then he remembered his conversation with Urahara earlier that morning.

"_Thank you for the warning, Ulquiorra-san. Now, about room-and-board…" Urahara said as Orihime left the room (followed by the strange cat). "I think you know how to sweep and move various boxes, don't you, Ulquiorra-san?" Urahara asked, a suspiciously large grin on his face._

_The arrancar looked at Urahara questioningly. "I am to work in the shop?" he asked. Urahara nodded cheerfully. "With so many shinigami reinforcements, we've been needing a bit of help, ne? They just come in and go out again, so there's no need to worry about one noticing someone new," the shopkeeper replied._

"_I believe you have forgotten something, Urahara," Ulquiorra stated, his voice never varying from the usual monotone._

"_Hm? And what might that be?" Urahara asked, feigning genuine curiosity with incredible skill. Ulquiorra tapped the hole at the base of his neck, lightly traced the tear markings on his face, and moved one finger along the one horn on his mask. "Ah. That. I know exactly how to fix that little inconvenience."_

_Ulquiorra looked at him sharply. "If it involves manipulating in any way remaining piece of my mask…" he warned, death-glare at the ready. Urahara laughed nervously, "No, no, nothing of the sort! What it does involve is using a gigai, specially modified by yours truly. It will hide your spiritual pressure, make you visible to the humans, and I changed the appearance enough so that your hollow hole, markings, and er… horn, won't be noticed. Other than that, it looks exactly like you!" Urahara had a slightly annoying 'aren't I a genius?' look on; Ulquiorra decided to refrain from comment in case the ex-shinigami decided to turn the gigai female. __**That**__ would be utterly mortifying…_

_And so, about half an hour later, Ulquiorra was standing outside the shop, broom in his left hand, watching the light-show of the evening sky._

Ulquiorra repressed the urge to fidget with the black scarf around his neck. He was currently dressed in black jeans, a dark green long-sleeved shirt, had a black scarf wound around his neck, and on his feet were, of all things, _sneakers_. Watching the arrancar from the window, Urahara was secretly glad that Ulquiorra's power hadn't regenerated enough for him to go off on his own yet, as Ulquiorra had informed the shopkeeper he would do the instant he was strong enough. Still, he hoped Ulquiorra would forgive him for the little indulgence with the clothes. Not many people got to dress an Espada as a Goth, let alone see the emotionless, cold, silent Ulquiorra wearing Sketchers and holding a broom. Urahara repressed a snicker.

There were a few people wandering the street near Urahara's shop. Ulquiorra watched them out of the corners of his eyes as they passed; his battle-instinct ready for action if the need arose. But the only thing mildly threatening in the area came in the form of a small group of teenage girls, who stood across the street staring at him. As he turned to look at them, the group dissolved into giggles and most of the girls blushed furiously. Ulquiorra saw no reason for this reaction, and was feeling puzzled by the humans' strange behavior when Jinta said, "They like you, dolt. Try waving."

Ulquiorra, seeing no reason not to wave, did as he was told, thinking,_ humans have so many forms of greeting. I do not see the purpose of this. Why would your hand pass off as greeting someone?_

Upon seeing Ulquiorra wave at them, the girls shrieked in unison, blushed more furiously, whispered and giggled to themselves, and left quickly, still blushing and giggling. Nonplussed, Ulquiorra examined his hand as if it had done something to the girls without his knowledge. He wondered again why humans acted so strangely. Come to think of it, several of the lower-class female arrancar around Las Noches had acted similarly when he walked by, what seemed like ages ago. He'd seen no point to it then, and so had ignored it… was this some strange female ritual or custom? If so, then why did Halibel-sama never seem to act even remotely like that? Shaking his head, Ulquiorra pushed such thoughts out of his mind. He would only confuse himself further.

As the sun finally vanished, taking the colors with it, Ulquiorra turned toward the pile of dirt he'd swept up before the evening sky had distracted him. Leaning his broom against the shop's front door, he reached into his right pocket and pulled out a small canister that Urahara had lent him.

"_Using a cero or bala blast would be like turning on a neon sign above your head and screaming 'I'm right here, Aizen, come kill me!'. Of course, using an energy ball was always how I got rid of dust after sweeping, so I don't have a dustbin. I do have this however. Inside this can is a bit of compressed energy. Just press the nozzle… don't aim it at me! Anyway, you can use this to get rid of any junk you find sweeping." "…the instant my power returns…"_

With a sigh, Ulquiorra made sure no humans were watching and vaporized the dust pile with a strangely vanilla-scented purple stream of whatever the crazy shopkeeper had put into the can. Then he stopped and waited. He didn't have to wait long.

Urahara came over and opened the door. "Done alre—ouch?!" He took a step back as the broom Ulquiorra had set against the door fell inside and whacked him in the forehead, knocking his hat off. Only a barely visible smirk told Urahara that the arrancar had done that on purpose. "Ok, you've had your revenge. Nicely done, I must say. Are you finished, then?" Urahara asked, retrieving his hat and dusting it off. Ulquiorra nodded, still smirking slightly.

"Alright, come inside. It's time we prepared a welcome party for our late night visitors tonight."

Orihime arrived at Urahara's shop/house after school, and found Ulquiorra and Urahara talking together about someone named Grimmjow. She decided that it would be best if she just left them to their discussion and was about to leave when Ulquiorra looked at her and said, "I thought you lived on the other side of Karakura town, _onna._"

She jumped and gave a little squeak of surprise, then said, "Eh… my apartment is having problems with the plumbing, so I'm staying with Urahara-san until the sink stops spraying water everywhere…" Orihime smiled brightly, albeit a little nervously. Ulquiorra made her a little nervous, with his blank stare and monotonous voice.

Ulquiorra looked away, feeling strangely uncomfortable, when he noticed Orihime's nervousness. For some reason, making her nervous made him feel unhappy. He mentally filed those emotions under "pointless feelings" and closed his eyes, tracking the reiatsu around the city. Beyond several "hotspots" (no doubt the Shinigami allies), all was quiet.

He looked up to see both Urahara and Orihime still watching him. Orihime had a rather zoned-out expression, but Urahara was obviously waiting for something. Ulquiorra said, "No sign of anything yet. They will wait until after dark; Aizen will not want the humans getting involved quite yet. That will bring more Shinigami, and slow down his plans even further."

"What do you mean, 'even further'?" Urahara inquired. Ulquiorra's expression didn't change.

"When he began to plan the invasion, I was the one who was to lead an attack on Soul Society in order to lead the Shinigami away from Karakura Town. He does not yet have another Quatro Espada to take my place, and the hougyoku is weakened due to recent exertion."

Urahara nodded sagely, as if he had already known that. _I'll say one thing for him, he's a good actor_, Ulquiorra thought. Then he turned to look at Orihime, who was still looking spaced-out. "_Onna_, what are you looking for?" She started a bit, then her eyes refocused and she gave a fake smile. "Oh… nothing, Ulquiorra-san. I was just thinking about my homework. My teacher gave us a lot of work to do tonight…" her smile and voice wilted slightly under Ulquiorra's piercing stare.

"Do not lie to me until you learn to hide the truth better," he said quietly, and turned away from them to look up at the sky, gauging the time until sundown. "You have three hours, perhaps less, until Grimmjow arrives. Find some stronger allies; these will not last long against his fraccion, let alone Grimmjow himself."

Urahara frowned. "But we will have you fighting with us, Ulquiorra-san. You said you could defeat Grimmjow yourself." Ulquiorra turned back to face him. "Yes, I could, but I would have to rely on my release-state to defeat him, and it is not suited to long battles in confined areas. I may be stronger, but he is more vicious and the bloodlust of battle drives him wild."

Orihime's eyes lit up. "I think I could help with some of that, Ulquiorra-san. Hold still, please. _Souten Kisshun, _I reject," she said, and two little sparks of light flew from her hairclips and formed a golden shield-like light around Ulquiorra. In a matter of seconds, he was fully healed and staring at her with an expression of intense curiosity.

"That power of yours…What is it?" he asked. Orihime shook her head and shrugged, showing that she had no idea. He pressed on. "And if you can heal with such skill, why did you not do so sooner, _onna_?" he asked, obviously somewhat annoyed. Suddenly he froze, eyes narrowing and an expression of surprise on his face.

"Your answer can wait, _onna_. Get inside, **now**. No," he said, holding up a hand to stall her questions, "just go. He's here. Go." _So soon…?_ Ulquiorra thought, as Urahara quickly got Orihime inside. _Why is he here so soon?_

**A/N:** For all of you who have stuck with me so far, I am so sorry and so grateful to all of you for sticking with me this long. I wish I had updated sooner… (feeling guilty) but I thought I'd already posted the first piece of this chapter or so. (That's why this one is so long.) Things will be getting rather messy soon, brace yourselves. I'll try to update **much** more regularly, or at least much sooner. Expect another chapter in the next month or so; until next time, and again, thank you!


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